CN106572894A - Elastic piece covered orthodontic appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved orthodontic appliance and associated systems and methods are provided. In one aspect, an orthodontic appliance can comprise: a housing having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive teeth of a patient and comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface; and an elastic coating covering at least a part of one or more inner surfaces or outer surfaces of the case. The stiffness of the portion of the orthodontic appliance corresponding to the portion of the shell covered by the elastic coating can be determined using the stiffness of the elastic coating.

Description

Elastic covered orthodontic aligners

cross reference

This application claims priority to US Provisional Application No. 62/015,217, filed June 20, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Background technique

Orthodontic procedures generally involve repositioning a patient's teeth into a desired alignment in order to correct the malocclusion and/or improve aesthetics. To accomplish these purposes, orthodontic appliances such as braces, retainers, shell aligners, etc., can be applied to the patient's teeth by an orthodontist. Braces are configured to apply force to more than one tooth in order to cause desired tooth movement. The application of force can be periodically adjusted by the physician (eg, by changing aligners or using a different type of aligner) in order to gradually reposition the teeth into the desired alignment.

However, in some cases, current orthodontic appliances may not be able to effectively generate the force required to achieve the desired repositioning of the teeth, or may not provide sufficient control over the force applied to the teeth. Existing orthodontic aligners may typically employ a separate aligner shell with homogenous and/or continuous material properties that can provide less movement and comfort than ideal. Additionally, the hardness of some existing aligners may hinder the ability to fit the aligner to the patient's teeth and may increase patient discomfort.

Contents of the invention

An improved orthodontic appliance and related systems and methods are provided. Orthodontic appliances can comprise a thin, flexible shell covered by an elastic covering. The properties of the elastic covering can determine the overall performance of the aligner, such as the stiffness of the aligner. When worn by a patient, the aligners may apply force to the underlying teeth via the elastic covering in order to reposition the teeth. The aligners described herein provide enhanced control over the forces applied to the teeth, enabling improved orthodontic treatment procedures.

Accordingly, in one aspect, an orthodontic appliance includes a housing having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive a patient's teeth, and the housing includes an interior surface and an exterior surface; and a resilient covering that at least A portion that covers one or more interior or exterior surfaces of a housing. The stiffness of the elastic covering is used to determine the stiffness of the portion of the orthodontic appliance corresponding to the portion of the housing covered by the elastic covering.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent by reading the specification, claims and drawings.

Incorporate by reference

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Description of drawings

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantageous effects of the present invention will be obtained by referring to the following detailed description, which sets forth illustrative embodiments in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and accompanying drawings as follows:

Figure 1A illustrates a tooth repositioning appliance according to various embodiments.

Figure IB illustrates a tooth repositioning system according to various embodiments.

Figure 2 illustrates a method of orthodontic treatment utilizing multiple aligners, according to various embodiments.

Figure 3A illustrates a resilient-covered orthodontic appliance, according to various embodiments.

3B illustrates the aligner shown in FIG. 3A placed on a patient's teeth, according to various embodiments.

Figure 3C illustrates the aligner shown in Figure 3B after tooth repositioning has occurred, according to various embodiments.

Figure 4A illustrates a resilient-covered orthodontic appliance having segments, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 4B illustrates a resilient-covered orthodontic appliance with separate segments, according to various embodiments.

4C illustrates a resilient-covered orthodontic appliance with striations, according to various embodiments.

Figure 5 illustrates a method for creating an orthodontic appliance, according to various embodiments.

6A and 6B illustrate the fabrication of orthodontic appliances according to various embodiments.

Figure 7 illustrates a method for digitally planning orthodontic treatment, according to various embodiments.

Figure 8 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a data processing system in accordance with various embodiments.

detailed description

A better understanding of the features and advantageous effects of the present disclosure will be gained by reference to the following detailed description and drawings that set forth an illustrative embodiment in which the principles of embodiments of the disclosure are utilized.

While the specific description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure but as merely illustrating various examples and aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure includes other embodiments not specifically discussed above. Various changes apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods, systems, and apparatus of the present disclosure provided herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described herein. Other modifications, changes and variations.

As used herein, A and/or B includes more than one A or B, as well as combinations such as A and B.

The orthodontic appliances described herein and their associated systems and methods can be employed as part of an orthodontic treatment procedure in order to reposition more than one tooth, maintain the current position of more than one tooth, or maintain a proper combination thereof. The orthodontic appliance can include a housing at least partially covered by an elastic covering. The housing can be relatively thin and conformable compared to elastic coverings. Thus, the properties of the covered portion of the appliance may be controlled primarily by utilizing the properties of the elastic covering such that the tooth repositioning forces generated by the appliance are provided entirely or predominantly by the elastic covering. The material properties (e.g., stiffness) of the aligners described herein can be varied via the elastic coating, thereby imparting different forces applied to different teeth of the patient's dental arch, and in some cases, with reduced patient discomfort. , the more precise application or transmission of more than one force to a tooth.

Thus, in one aspect, an orthodontic appliance includes a housing having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive teeth of a patient, and the housing includes an interior surface and an exterior surface; and a resilient covering that at least A portion that covers one or more interior or exterior surfaces of a housing. The stiffness of the elastic covering is used to determine the stiffness of the portion of the orthodontic aligner corresponding to the portion of the housing covered by the elastic covering. In some cases, the stiffness of the portion is primarily determined by the stiffness of the elastic covering.

In terms of design, the elastic covering can vary. For example, the elastic covering can have a variable thickness throughout portions of the housing. The stiffness of the elastic covering can vary throughout the portion of the housing. The portion can comprise any portion of the housing, such as the entire housing. Various techniques can be used to bond the elastic cover to the housing. In some cases, the elastomeric coating can be sprayed or extruded onto portions of the housing. The elastic covering is formed by attaching discrete pieces of elastic material to the housing. The elastic cover can be transparent, translucent or opaque. Optionally, the elastic covering can be colored.

The housing may be flexible. The dimensions of the housing can vary. For example, the thickness of the housing can be less than or equal to about 0.02 mm.

In another aspect, the aligners described herein can be included in a series of aligners, thereby providing an orthodontic system for repositioning teeth. Such an orthodontic system can include a plurality of orthodontic appliances each including a housing including one or more cavities shaped to receive the patient's teeth. The aligners can similarly be worn by the patient to move more than one tooth from a first arrangement to a second arrangement. More than one aligner can include the elastic-covered orthodontic aligners described herein. For example, an elastic-covered aligner of the system can include: an aligner housing having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive the patient's teeth, and the aligner housing comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface; and an elastic covering, The elastic covering covers at least one or more inner or outer surfaces of the aligner housing, wherein the stiffness of the elastic covering is used to determine the portion of the orthodontic aligner that is covered by the elastic covering The stiffness of the corresponding part.

The characteristics of the aligners of the orthodontic system can be varied as needed in order to deliver the desired tooth repositioning forces to the patient's teeth. For example, the elastic covering can have a variable thickness throughout portions of the orthosis shell. Alternatively or additionally, the stiffness of the elastic covering can vary across portions of the orthosis shell. The portion of the orthosis housing covered by the elastic covering can comprise the entire orthosis housing. The method used to manufacture the aligner can vary. For example, an elastic covering can be sprayed or extruded onto portions of the aligner shell. In various embodiments, the elastic covering is formed by attaching discrete pieces of elastic material to the orthosis shell. The aesthetics of the elastic covering can be varied as desired, such that the elastic covering can be transparent, translucent, or opaque, and/or colored.

Housings for orthodontic appliances can be manufactured with any suitable properties. For example, the orthosis shell may be flexible. The thickness of the aligner shell can be less than or equal to 0.02 mm.

In another aspect, methods for creating orthodontic appliances are provided herein. A method for creating or manufacturing an orthodontic appliance can include providing a housing having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive teeth of a patient, the housing including an interior surface and an exterior surface. At least one or more inner or outer surfaces of the housing are covered with the elastic coating so that the stiffness of the elastic coating is used to determine the stiffness of the portion of the orthodontic aligner corresponding to the portion of the housing covered by the elastic coating.

This approach can allow for design variations of the elastic covering. For example, the elastic covering can have a variable thickness throughout portions of the housing. The stiffness of the elastic covering can be variable throughout the portion of the housing. Said part can comprise the entire housing.

Covering at least portions of the interior and/or exterior surfaces of the housing with an elastic coating can include spraying or extruding an elastomeric material onto said portion of the housing, and attaching discrete pieces of elastomeric material to the housing. The elastic cover can be transparent, translucent or opaque, and/or tinted.

The housing provided may be flexible. The thickness of the housing can be any suitable thickness, such as less than or equal to about 0.02mm.

In another aspect, methods for creating orthodontic appliances are provided herein. A method for creating or manufacturing an orthodontic appliance includes providing a housing having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive teeth of a patient. At least one or more inner surfaces or parts of the outer surface of the housing may be covered with an elastic coating. The method can further include removing the shell from the elastic covering to form an orthodontic appliance including the elastic covering.

The various steps and features of the method can be varied as desired. For example, covering at least portions of the exterior and/or interior surfaces of the housing with an elastomeric coating can include spraying or extruding the elastomeric coating onto portions of the housing, and attaching separate pieces of elastomeric material to the housing superior. As another example, removing the shell can include dissolving the shell or releasing the shell from the elastic covering.

Turning now to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like elements in the various drawings, FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary tooth 102 that can be worn by a patient in order to achieve progressive repositioning of individual teeth 102 in the jaw. The tooth repositioning aligner or aligner 100 of the . The aligner can include a housing (eg, a continuous polymeric housing or a segmented housing) having tooth-receiving cavities that receive and elastically reposition the teeth. In one embodiment, the aligner or some part(s) of the aligner may be directly manufactured using a physical model of the teeth. For example, an aligner (eg, a polymeric aligner) can be formed using a physical model of the tooth and a sheet of polymeric material in appropriate layers. Aligners are able to fit over all, or less than all, teeth present in the upper and lower jaws. The aligner can be specifically designed to accommodate the patient's teeth (e.g., the topography of the tooth receiving cavity matches the topography of the patient's teeth) and can be based on a positive or negative impression of the patient's teeth generated by impressions, scans, etc. molds to make orthotics. Alternatively, the aligners can be ordinary aligners configured to receive teeth, but not necessarily shaped to match the topography of the patient's teeth. In some cases, only specific teeth housed by the aligner will be repositioned by the aligner, while other teeth can be provided to hold the aligner in place while the aligner applies force to more than one tooth to be repositioned base or anchorage area. In some cases, at some point during the treatment, multiple or most or even all of the teeth will be repositioned. The moved teeth can also serve as a base or anchor for holding the aligner when the aligner is worn by the patient. Typically, there will be no wires or other implements for holding the aligners in place on the teeth. In some cases, however, it may be desirable or necessary to provide corresponding receptacles or apertures 106 for individual attachments or other anchoring elements 104 on the teeth 102 in the aligner 100 so that the aligner can apply a selected force to the teeth. . included in Exemplary aligners for use in the System are described in various patents and patent applications assigned to Align Technology, Inc., including, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 6,450,807 and 5,975,893, and available on the World Wide Web at company website (see, for example, the URL "invisalign.com"). Examples of tooth-mounted attachments suitable for use with orthodontic appliances are also described in patents and patent applications assigned to Align Technology, Inc., eg, US Patent Nos. 6,309,215 and 6,830,450.

FIG. 1B illustrates a tooth repositioning system 110 including a plurality of aligners 112 , 114 , 116 . Any of the aligners described herein can be designed and/or provided as part of a set of multiple aligners for use in a tooth repositioning system. Each aligner may be configured such that the tooth-receiving cavities have a geometry corresponding to the intermediate or final tooth arrangement intended to be achieved with the aligner. By placing a series of progressive repositioning appliances on the patient's teeth, the patient's teeth are gradually repositioned from an initial tooth arrangement to a target tooth arrangement. For example, tooth repositioning system 110 can include: a first aligner 112, which corresponds to an initial tooth arrangement; one or more intermediate aligners 114, which correspond to more than one intermediate arrangement; and a final aligner 116, which corresponds to a target arrangement. Corresponding. The target tooth arrangement can be a planned final tooth arrangement, which is the final tooth arrangement selected for the patient's teeth at the end of all planned orthodontic treatments.

Alternatively, the target arrangement can be one of many intermediate arrangements of the patient's teeth during the course of orthodontic treatment, which can include a variety of different treatment scenarios, including but not limited to the following: recommended surgery, suitable for interproximal resection Enamel (IPR), further examination planned, anchor placement is optimal, palatal extension expected, restorative dentistry involved (eg, inlays, fillings, crowns, bridges, implants, porcelain, etc.), etc. As such, it is understood that the target tooth arrangement can be any planned resulting arrangement of the patient's teeth following one or more stages of progressive repositioning. Similarly, the initial tooth arrangement can be any initial arrangement of the patient's teeth following one or more stages of progressive repositioning.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 of orthodontic treatment utilizing multiple aligners, according to various embodiments. Method 200 can be implemented using any of the orthotics or groups of orthotics described herein. In step 210, a first orthodontic appliance is applied to the patient's teeth in order to reposition the teeth from the first tooth arrangement to the second tooth arrangement. In step 220, a second orthodontic appliance is applied to the patient's teeth in order to reposition the teeth from the second tooth arrangement to the third tooth arrangement. To progressively reposition the patient's teeth from the initial arrangement to the target arrangement, the method 200 can be repeated as needed with any suitable number and combination of sequential aligners. The aligners can be created at the same stage or in groups or batches (e.g. at the beginning of a session of treatment), or they can be created one at a time and the patient can wear each aligner until the individual aligners are no longer felt The pressure of the tooth on the tooth, or until the maximum amount of tooth movement applied for the given stage has been achieved. A plurality of different aligners (eg, a set) can be designed and even manufactured before the patient wears any of the aligners. After wearing the brace for an appropriate period of time, the patient can replace the current brace with the next brace in the series until no more braces remain. The aligners are typically not attached to the teeth, and the patient can place and replace the aligners at any point during the procedure (eg, the patient can remove the aligners). The final aligner or the last few aligners in the series may have a geometry selected to overcorrect the tooth arrangement. For example, more than one aligner may have a geometry that will (if fully realized) move individual teeth beyond the tooth arrangement that has been selected as "final". Such overcorrection is possible (eg, allowing individual teeth to move towards their pre-correction positions) in order to counteract potential springback after the repositioning method has terminated. Overcorrection can also be beneficial in accelerating correction (eg, aligners with geometry positioned beyond a desired intermediate or final position can displace individual teeth toward that position at a faster rate). In such cases, the use of the aligner can be terminated before the teeth reach the position defined by the aligner. Furthermore, overcorrection may be applied intentionally in order to compensate for errors or limitations of the orthotic.

While the above steps illustrate a method 200 of orthodontic treatment utilizing multiple aligners according to an embodiment, those of ordinary skill in the art will find many variations based on the teachings described herein. Some steps may include sub-steps. Many steps can be repeated whenever therapeutically beneficial. One or more steps of method 200 may be applied to any suitable orthodontic appliance such as the embodiments described herein.

Various embodiments and configurations of aligners can be used in the orthodontic systems and treatment procedures described herein. For example, an orthodontic appliance can comprise a thin shell which is covered in whole or in part by a covering of elastic material. The shell may primarily serve as a template for the resiliently coated geometry, and thus, the properties of the shell (eg, stiffness, thickness) may affect relatively little the overall properties (eg, stiffness, thickness) of the aligner. The performance of the orthosis can be primarily determined by the properties of the elastic covering. For example, this may mean that the elastic covering is responsible for at least 50%, at least 75%, at least 80% or at least 90% of the performance value of the orthosis. For example, the modulus of elasticity of the shell can be about 2000 psi, or range from about 200 psi to about 20000 psi, while the modulus of elasticity of the covering can be about 1000 psi, about 4000 psi, or range from about 200 psi to about 20000 psi. For example, with respect to properties of the shell such as thickness and/or modulus of elasticity, the ratio of the contribution of the elastic coating to the contribution of the shell may be any suitable value, such as approximately 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70, 20:80, 10:90 or 0:100. The properties of the elastic coating can be selected to apply forces to the patient's teeth for inducing various tooth movements (eg translation, rotation, extrusion, push in, tilt) as part of the orthodontic treatment process.

3A-3C illustrate a resilient-covered orthodontic appliance 300 according to various embodiments. The orthosis 300 includes a housing 302 covered by a resilient covering 304 . Housing 302 can include a plurality of cavities adapted to receive some or all of the teeth in the patient's dental arch. The resilient covering 304 can cover portions of the housing 302 that include one or more interior and/or exterior surfaces of the housing 302 . The terms inner surface and outer surface may be used herein to refer to the surface adjacent to the tooth being housed and the surface remote from the tooth being housed, respectively. The resilient covering 304 may conform to the surface topography of the shell 302 such that the tooth arrangement dictated by the geometry of the resilient covering is consistent or similar to the tooth arrangement of the shell 302 . In some cases, elastic covering 304 may form a single continuous layer covering the entire housing 302 . Alternatively, the elastic covering 304 may cover only some portions of the housing 302, leaving other portions exposed. For example, the elastomeric covering 304 may cover only the exterior surface of the housing 302 , or only the interior surface of the housing 302 .

Housing 302 can be a flexible housing that is relatively thin and conformable compared to elastic cover 304 . For example, the thickness of the shell 302 can be less than or equal to about 0.02 mm, or in the range from about 0.01 mm to about 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the elastic coating 304 can be greater than or equal to about 0.01 mm, or in the range of from about 0.01 mm to about 0.01 mm. within the range of 4mm. Thus, the properties of the elastic covering 304, rather than the properties of the shell 302, may be used primarily to determine the overall properties of the covered portion of the aligner 300. As an example, the stiffness of elastic covering 304 may determine the stiffness of the covered portion of orthosis 300 with little or minimal influence from housing 302 . The shell 302 may primarily serve as a template or "skeleton" to form the geometry of the resilient covering 304 and may provide little or no structural support to the overall aligner 300 . In various embodiments, the housing 302 applies little or no force when deflected by the patient's teeth. Alternatively, any suitable combination of the properties of the elastic covering 304 and the properties of the shell 302 may be used to determine the overall properties of the covered portion of the aligner 300 . For example, the stiffness of the covered portion of the orthosis 300 may be determined in part by the stiffness of the elastic covering 304 and in part by the stiffness of the shell 302 . The properties (eg, hardness, modulus of elasticity) of the shell 302 and/or the elastic covering 304 can be varied as desired in order to generate an appropriate force for repositioning the teeth. The modulus of elasticity of the housing 302 may be approximately 2000 psi, or within a range from approximately 200 psi to approximately 20,000 psi. The modulus of elasticity of the coating 304 may be about 1000 psi, about 4000 psi, or in a range from about 200 psi to about 20000 psi. For example, the ratio of the contribution of the elastic coating 304 to the contribution of the shell 302 may be any suitable value, such as about 100:0, 90:10, 80: 20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70, 20:80, 10:90, or 0:100.

When the aligner 300 is worn by the patient (as shown in FIG. 3B ), the housing 300 can be easily deformed (eg, bent, stretched) to accommodate the patient's current tooth arrangement. This deformation may result from an intentional mismatch between the geometry of the aligner 300 (eg, shell 302 and/or resilient covering 304 ) and the patient's current tooth arrangement. The resilient covering 304 is able to resist deformation of the shell 302 such that the overall degree of deformation of the aligner 300 is less than would be possible in the absence of the covering 304 . The resistance to deformation of the elastic covering 304 can apply a force to the underlying teeth, causing movement of one or more teeth relative to up to six degrees of freedom of motion (e.g., translation, rotation, interpolation, extrusion, tilting, twisting, etc.) .

Alternatively or in combination, elastic covering 304 may apply force to more than one tooth in order to maintain the teeth in their current position and/or orientation. Repositioning or moving of the teeth can reduce the degree of deformation of the elastic covering 304 and shell 302, thereby reducing the amount of force applied to the teeth (as shown in FIG. 3C).

The properties of the elastic covering (eg, length, width, thickness, area, shape, cross-section, stiffness, modulus of elasticity, etc.) can be used to control the magnitude and/or direction of force applied to the tooth. These properties can be homogeneous or nearly homogeneous across the coating. Nearly homogeneous may mean that the variation in a property is no more than 50% of the maximum, no more than 25% of the maximum, or no more than 10% of the maximum for that property present in the coating. Alternatively, the coating may be homogeneous such that some or all of these properties are variable, e.g., some or all of these properties are 10% above the maximum value for that property exhibited in the coating, above the 25% of the maximum, or 50% above the maximum. For example, a covering can comprise a number of different parts, some of which may have different properties. The portion may span multiple teeth, a single tooth, or a portion of more than one tooth. The portion may have nearly uniform properties, or may have variable properties. Different part geometries and configurations can be selected based on the target tooth movement for the current treatment session. As an example, the portion adjacent to the tooth intended to be repositioned may have a greater stiffness than the portion adjacent to the tooth used to anchor the appliance. Additionally, in some cases, the elastic covering can have anisotropic properties or properties. For example, at least some portions of the elastic covering may be relatively compliant along a first direction and less compliant (or non-compliant) along a second direction. The directionality of the elastic coating can be used to control the direction of the resultant force applied to the tooth.

4A-4C illustrate various examples of elastic-covered orthodontic appliances having homogenous properties, according to various embodiments. The orthosis 400 of FIG. 4A includes a housing 402 covered by a resilient covering 404 having a plurality of sections 406 , 408 , 410 . In one embodiment, when the aligner 400 is worn by the patient, the segment 408 covers the anterior teeth while the segments 406, 410 cover the posterior teeth. However, it will be understood that the covering 404 can include any number of segments each covering more than one tooth or a portion of more than one tooth. The geometry and properties of the various segments can be varied as desired in order to apply the desired force to the patient's teeth. Some sections of covering 404 may have different properties than other sections. This means, for example, that the variation of the performance is above 10% of the maximum value exhibited by the performance in the segment, above 25% of the maximum value, or above 50% of the maximum value. For example, section 408 may have a different thickness, stiffness, etc. than sections 406 , 410 . Instead, some sections may have the same or similar performance (eg, sections 406, 410). Similar performance may mean, for example, that the variation in performance is no higher than 50% of the maximum value exhibited by that performance in the segment, no higher than 25% of the maximum value, or no higher than 10% of the maximum value.

FIG. 4B illustrates an orthosis 420 in which a shell 422 is covered by a resilient covering 424 having a plurality of discrete regions 426 . The properties (eg, stiffness, thickness, etc.) of region 426 may differ from the properties of surrounding portions of coating 424 . In various embodiments, the geometry (eg, size, surface area, shape), arrangement, and properties of region 426 are designed to facilitate repositioning of more than one tooth. For example, while region 426 is depicted in FIG. 4B as covering the buccal surface of the tooth, in other embodiments, region 426 may additionally or alternatively cover other portions of the tooth, such as more than one tongue of the tooth. A portion of a lateral surface, a portion of one or more occlusal surfaces, a portion of one or more interproximal regions, or an appropriate combination thereof.

FIG. 4C illustrates an orthotic 430 in which a shell 432 is covered by an elastic covering 434 having a plurality of striations 436 . The properties of the elastic covering 434 may vary according to the stripe pattern. For example, in one embodiment, stripes 436 may each have an increased thickness compared to other portions of coating 434 . This means, for example, that the stripes are respectively more than 10%, more than 25%, more than 50% or more than 100% thicker than the part of the covering which has the smallest thickness. As another example, striations 436 may correspond to bands of hard material formed in covering 434 . Streak 436 may extend across the entire aligner 430 , or only a designated portion of the aligner 430 . The striations 436 can be oriented along the mesial-distal direction (as shown in FIG. 4C ), the gingival-occlusal direction, or any other direction suitable to facilitate desired tooth movement. Similar to other embodiments provided herein, the geometry (eg, length, width, clearance, slope) and properties of striae 436 can be determined based on the target tooth movement of aligner 430 .

The elastic-covered orthotics described herein can accommodate a variety of different configurations for the elastic covering elastic material, including different compositions and/or structures of the elastic material. The elastic material used for the covering may comprise a single continuous covering of elastic material, or multiple coverings of the same elastic material, different materials, or a combination of some coverings of the same material and more than one covering of different materials. Properties of the elastic coating, such as toughness, elasticity, hardness/softness, color, etc., can be determined based at least in part on the selected material, coating of material, and/or elastic coating thickness. In some cases, the elastic material or covering can be configured such that more than one property is uniform along the length or portion of the elastic (or throughout the elastic). Additionally, one or more properties of the elastic material or covering may vary along the length or portion of the elastic (or the entire elastic). This means, for example, that the variation in a property may be greater than 10%, 25%, or 50% of the maximum value of that property along the length or portion of the elastic (or the entire elastic). For example, the elastic or covering may have a substantially uniform thickness along the length or portion, or may vary along the length/portion. As will be appreciated, the properties of the resilient member or covering may be selected to affect the force applied to the patient's teeth, or to affect the tooth movement aspect desired for a particular treatment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 for creating an orthodontic appliance, according to various embodiments. Method 500 can be applied to any of the embodiments of orthodontic appliances described herein. 6A and 6B illustrate the fabrication of orthodontic appliances according to various embodiments.

In step 510, a housing (eg, see housing 600 of FIG. 6A) having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive teeth is provided. Exemplary methods for manufacturing the housing include thermoforming, rapid prototyping (eg, stereolithography, 3D printing, etc.), or computer numerical control (CNC) milling. For example, the housing can be thermoformed from more than one layer of poly sheet. The material(s) for the housing can be translucent or colored. Alternatively, the housing or housing segments can be transparent, opaque, or any other suitable degree of light transmission. In some cases, the shell can be fabricated based on a physical or digital model of the patient's teeth. The mold can be generated using a dental impression or scan (eg, a patient's oral cavity, a positive or negative cast of the patient's oral cavity, or a dental impression made of the patient's oral cavity).

In step 520, at least a portion of the interior and/or exterior of the housing (eg, the interior and/or exterior surfaces) is covered with a resilient covering (eg, see resilient covering 602 shown in FIG. 6B). The elastic covering can be provided as strips, grids, sheets or layers or suitable combinations thereof. Any suitable material or combination of materials can be used for the elastic covering, such as rubber, latex, polyurethane or other elastic or biocompatible materials. Elastomeric materials can have varying levels of light transmission. In various embodiments, the elastic material is transparent, translucent or opaque. Optionally, the material may be translucent or colored to enhance the aesthetics of the aligner when worn by the patient.

The elastomeric coating can be placed on the housing using any suitable method, including spraying, dipping, extruding, depositing, painting, spraying, casting, dipping, etc., or combinations thereof. In some cases, the elastic covering can be bonded to the housing using a suitable adhesive, bonding agent, or the like. Alternatively, the elastic covering may have adhesive properties, enabling direct attachment of the covering to the housing without the use of additional external agents. The elastic covering may comprise different parts having different properties, as mentioned above, using different materials and/or techniques to manufacture the different parts. In one embodiment, the elastic covering can be fabricated directly on the shell by using an extrusion system to place more than one layer of material on the shell. The extruded material can be provided in any suitable form (eg, liquid or gel, solid such as filaments). For example, to set the elastomeric coating, various energy sources such as ultraviolet, infrared, laser and/or thermal energy sources are used to enable the liquid material to solidify or set as it is extruded from the extrusion system.

Alternatively or in combination, the elastomeric coating can be placed or deposited using a fabrication system configured to attach discrete pieces of material (eg, strips, strips, layers) to the housing. The manufacturing system herein may be a computer controlled system such that a fully automated manufacturing of orthodontic aligners is allowed.

While the above steps illustrate a method 500 for creating an orthodontic aligner according to an embodiment, those of ordinary skill in the art will find many variations based on the teachings described herein. Some steps may include sub-steps. Many steps can be repeated whenever beneficial. One or more steps of method 500 may be applied to any suitable orthodontic appliance such as the embodiments described herein.

Furthermore, in various embodiments, once the elastic covering has been applied (e.g., after step 520 has been performed), the shell is removed from the orthodontic appliance, resulting in a " Elastic Orthotics". Alternatively, the resulting elastic orthosis may include only elastic coverings. Various methods can be used to remove the shell from the elastic covering, for example, dissolving the shell; applying a release agent that enables the shell to be physically separated from the elastic covering without damaging the elastic covering; or a combination of both. combination. Thus, in such embodiments, the shell serves only as a manufacturing template for the resiliently covered geometry and, therefore, is not intended to be used in the final aligner to treat the patient. The force applied to the patient's teeth when the elastic aligner is worn can alone cause deformation of the elastic aligner (e.g., due to a mismatch between the patient's current tooth arrangement and the tooth arrangement defined by the elastic covering's geometry) .

This method of applying an elastic covering with subsequent removal of the shell can have an advantageous effect in producing orthotics made of elastic material, which are otherwise relatively difficult to manufacture directly without the use of templates. Furthermore, the properties of such elastic orthotics can be locally varied (e.g., by locally varying coating thickness, coating material, degree of cure, etc.), thereby compared to conventional sheet-based thermoforming that produces relatively homogeneous orthotics. method that enables orthotics to have homogeneous properties. Furthermore, the technology is compatible with thermoset materials, such as thermoset elastomers, which can provide better resistance to stress relaxation than thermoplastic materials (eg, thermoplastic elastomers) typically used in thermoforming processes. It should be understood that any of the embodiments of the orthodontic aligners provided herein can be further modified as described herein to have the shell removed and only the elastic covering retained, and elastic aligners resulting from such modifications can be considered to be part of this disclosure.

The manufacture or design of aligners can utilize one or more physical representations or digital representations of the patient's teeth. The representation of the patient's teeth can include a representation of the patient's teeth in a current arrangement, and may further include a representation of the patient's teeth repositioned in one or more treatment sessions. A treatment session can include a desired or targeted arrangement of the patient's teeth, such as a desired final arrangement of the teeth. The treatment phase can also include more than one intermediate arrangement (e.g., a planned intermediate arrangement) of the teeth, which represents the transition from a first arrangement (e.g., an initial arrangement) to a second or desired arrangement (e.g., a desired arrangement) of the teeth. The final alignment of the patient's teeth.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 for digitally planning orthodontic treatment and/or aligner design or manufacture, according to various embodiments. Method 700 can be applied to any of the treatment procedures described herein and can be performed by any suitable digital processing system.

In step 710, a digital representation of a patient's teeth is received. The digital representation can include surface topography data for the patient's oral cavity (including teeth, gum tissue, etc.). Production of surface topography data by direct scanning of the oral cavity, a physical model (male or negative) of the oral cavity, or an impression of the oral cavity with an appropriate scanning device (e.g., hand-held scanner, desktop scanner, etc.) .

In step 720, one or more treatment sessions are generated based on the digital representation of the teeth. A treatment phase can be a progressive repositioning phase of an orthodontic treatment process designed to move more than one patient tooth from an initial tooth arrangement to a target arrangement. For example, a treatment phase can be generated by determining an initial tooth arrangement indicated by a digital representation, determining a target tooth arrangement, and determining a path of movement of one or more teeth in the initial arrangement required to achieve the target tooth arrangement. The path of movement can be optimized based on minimizing the total distance of movement, preventing collisions between teeth, avoiding more difficult tooth movement, or any suitable criteria.

In step 730, at least one orthodontic appliance is fabricated based on the generated treatment phases. For example, a set of aligners can be manufactured such that the aligners can be sequentially worn by the patient to progressively reposition the teeth from an initial alignment to a target alignment. Some aligners can be shaped to accommodate the tooth arrangement specified by a treatment session. As an alternative or in combination, some aligners can be shaped to accommodate a different tooth arrangement than the target arrangement for the corresponding treatment session. For example, as previously described herein, the aligner may have a geometry corresponding to an overcorrected tooth arrangement. Such aligners can be used to ensure that the proper amount of force is exerted on the teeth as they approach or reach their desired target position for the treatment session. As another example, an aligner can be designed to exert a prescribed force system on the teeth and may not have a geometry that corresponds to the current or planned arrangement of the patient's teeth.

An aligner set may include more than one elastic-covered orthodontic aligner as described herein. The properties (eg, geometry, configuration, material properties, etc.) of the shell and/or elastic covering of such appliances can be selected to induce the tooth movement specified by the corresponding treatment phase. At least some of these properties can be determined via appropriate computer software or other numerically based methods. For example, computer modeling strategies can be used to determine an appropriate force system comprising one or more forces and/or torques to be applied to a tooth in order to cause a desired tooth movement. The properties of the shell and/or elastic covering can then be designed to provide a specified force and/or torque when the orthosis is worn by the patient during the appropriate phase of treatment. Additional examples of numerical modeling techniques suitable for use with the embodiments provided herein are described in Application Nos. 12623340, 12324714, and 13365167 and US Patent No. 8439672, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. A digital model created using such a method can be used as input to a computer-controlled manufacturing system that manufactures orthotics.

While the above steps illustrate a method 700 of digitally planning orthodontic treatment and/or the design or manufacture of aligners according to embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will find many variations based on the teachings described herein. Some steps may include sub-steps. Many steps may be repeated whenever beneficial to the design and/or manufacturing process. One or more steps of method 700 may be applied to the manufacture of any orthodontic appliance such as the embodiments described herein. Some steps are optional, and the order of the steps can be varied. In some cases, pathological staging for many alignments or treatment sessions may not be required for the design and/or manufacture of the aligner. 7, the design and/or manufacture of orthodontic appliances and possibly specific orthodontic treatment may include using a representation of the patient's teeth (e.g., 710: Receive a digital representation of the patient's teeth), followed by An orthodontic appliance is designed and/or fabricated from the representation of the patient's teeth in the arrangement presented by the received representation. For example, a shell may be generated based on a representation of the patient's teeth (eg, as in step 710 ) and then covered with elastic to create the aligners described in various embodiments herein.

8 is a simplified block diagram of a data processing system 800 that may be used in performing the methods and processes described herein. Data processing system 800 generally includes at least one processor 802 in communication with one or more peripheral devices via bus subsystem 804 . These peripherals generally include: storage subsystem 806 (memory subsystem 808 and file storage subsystem 814), a set of user interface input and output devices 818, and an interface 816 to an external network. This interface is shown schematically as a “Network Interface” block 816 and is linked via a communications network interface 824 to corresponding interface devices in other data processing systems. Data processing system 800 can include, for example, one or more computers such as personal computers, workstations, mainframes, laptops, and the like.

User interface input devices 818 are not limited to any particular device, and generally include, for example, keyboards, pointing devices, mice, scanners, interactive displays, touch pads, joysticks, and the like. Similarly, various user interface output devices can be employed in the system of the present invention and can include, for example, one of a printer, display (e.g., visual, non-visual) system/subsystem, controller, projection device, sound output, etc. above.

The storage subsystem 806 maintains the basic required programming, including computer-readable media with instructions (eg, operating instructions, etc.), and data structures. The program modules discussed herein are typically stored in storage subsystem 806 . Storage subsystem 806 generally includes memory subsystem 808 and file storage subsystem 814 . Memory subsystem 808 typically includes multiple memories (e.g., RAM 810, ROM 812, etc.), including computer readable memory for storing fixed instructions, instructions during program execution, and data, as well as basic input/output systems, etc. . File storage subsystem 814 provides persistent (nonvolatile) storage for program and data files and can include one or more of removable or fixed drives or media, hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical drives, etc. . More than one storage system, drive, etc. may be located at a remote location, via a server on a network or via an Internet/World Wide Web link. In this context, the term "bus subsystem" is generally used, thereby including any mechanism for enabling various components and subsystems to communicate with each other as desired, and can include various suitable bus systems that should be known or deemed suitable for use therein. components/systems. It will be appreciated that the various components of the system can be, but need not be, at the same physical location, but can be connected via various local or wide area network media, transmission systems, and the like.

Scanner 820 includes any tool for obtaining a digital representation (e.g., image, surface topography data, etc.) of a patient's teeth (e.g., by scanning a physical model of the tooth such as cast 821, by scanning an impression taken from the tooth model, or by directly scanning the intraoral cavity), said data representation can be obtained either from the patient, or from a treating practitioner such as an orthodontist, and the scanner 820 includes providing a digital representation to the data processing system 800 for further processing tools. Scanner 820 may be located at a remote location relative to the other components of the system and be capable of communicating image data and/or information to data processing system 800 , eg, via network interface 824 . Manufacturing system 822 manufactures orthosis 823 based on a treatment plan including the data set information received from data processing system 800 .

Fabrication machine 822 can be located, for example, at a remote location and receive data set information from data processing system 800 via network interface 824 .

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that such embodiment is provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention.

Many different combinations of the embodiments described herein are also possible, and such combinations are also considered part of the present invention. Additionally, features discussed in relation to any one embodiment of the invention can readily be adapted to other embodiments herein. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

Claims (40)

1. a kind of orthodontic appliance, including：

Housing, the housing have the multiple cavities of the tooth for being shaped to house patient, and the housing includes interior surface and external table Face；And

Elasticity is coating, the coating more than one described interior surface or the outer surface at least covering the housing of the elasticity Part, wherein, using the coating rigidity of the elasticity, determine with the housing by the elasticity is coating cover described in The rigidity of the part of the corresponding orthodontic appliance in part.

2. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, mainly the part is determined using the coating rigidity of the elasticity Rigidity.

3. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, throughout the part of the housing, the elasticity is coating to be had Variable thickness.

4. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, throughout the part of the housing, coating firm of the elasticity Degree is variable.

5. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, the part includes whole housing.

6. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, the elasticity is coating to be sprayed on the part of the housing.

7. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, the part of the coating extrusion molding of the elasticity to the housing On.

8. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, by the separation block part of elastomeric material is attached to the housing and Form the elasticity coating.

9. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, it is transparent, translucent or opaque that the elasticity is coating 's.

10. appliance according to claim 1, wherein, the elasticity is colored.

11. appliances according to claim 1, wherein, the housing is flexible.

12. appliances according to claim 1, wherein, the thickness of the housing is less than or equal to about 0.02mm.

A kind of 13. abnormal correction systems, including

Multiple orthodontic appliances, each of the plurality of appliance include housing, and the housing includes more than one being shaped to House patient tooth cavity, wherein, the appliance can be one after the other worn by patient so that more than one tooth from First order moves to second order, and wherein, at least one of described appliance appliance includes：

Appliance housing, the appliance housing have the multiple cavities of the tooth for being shaped to house the patient, and the correction Device housing includes interior surface and outer surface；And

Elasticity is coating, the coating more than one described interior surface at least covering the appliance housing of the elasticity or described outer The part on portion surface, wherein, using the coating rigidity of the elasticity, determine with the appliance housing by the elastic quilt The rigidity of the part of corresponding at least one appliance in the part of covering.

14. systems according to claim 13, wherein, throughout the part of the appliance housing, the elastic quilt Cover with variable thickness.

15. systems according to claim 13, wherein, throughout the part of the appliance housing, the elastic quilt The rigidity covered is variable.

16. systems according to claim 13, wherein, the part includes the whole appliance housing.

17. systems according to claim 13, wherein, the elasticity is coated to the portion for spraying to the appliance housing On point.

18. systems according to claim 13, wherein, the elasticity is coated to extrusion molding to the institute of the appliance housing State on part.

19. systems according to claim 13, wherein, by the separation block part of elastomeric material is attached to the appliance Housing and to form the elasticity coating.

20. systems according to claim 13, wherein, it is transparent, translucent or opaque that the elasticity is coating 's.

21. systems according to claim 13, wherein, the elasticity is colored.

22. systems according to claim 13, wherein, the appliance housing is flexible.

23. systems according to claim 13, wherein, the thickness of the appliance housing is less than or equal to 0.02mm.

A kind of 24. methods for creating orthodontic appliance, including：

Housing is set, and the housing has a multiple cavities of the tooth for being shaped to house patient, the housing includes interior surface and outer Portion surface；And

Using the part of the coating more than one described interior surface or the outer surface at least covering the housing of elasticity, Wherein, using the rigidity that the elasticity is coating, determine with the housing by the coating part phase for covering of the elasticity The rigidity of the part of the corresponding orthodontic appliance.

25. methods according to claim 24, wherein, throughout the part of the housing, the elasticity is coating to be had Variable thickness.

26. methods according to claim 24, wherein, throughout the part of the housing, the coating institute of the elasticity It is variable to state rigidity.

27. methods according to claim 24, wherein, the part includes whole housing.

28. methods according to claim 24, wherein, using the coating outside at least covering the housing of the elasticity And/or the part of inside includes spraying to the elasticity coating on the part of the housing.

29. methods according to claim 24, wherein, using the coating outside at least covering the housing of the elasticity And/or the part of inside is included the elasticity coating extrusion molding on the part of the housing.

30. methods according to claim 24, wherein, using the coating outside at least covering the housing of the elasticity And/or the part of inside includes the separation block part of elastomeric material is attached on the housing.

31. methods according to claim 24, wherein, it is transparent, translucent or opaque that the elasticity is coating 's.

32. methods according to claim 24, wherein, the elasticity is colored.

33. methods according to claim 24, wherein, the housing is flexible.

34. methods according to claim 24, wherein, the thickness of the housing is less than or equal to about 0.02mm.

A kind of 35. methods for creating orthodontic appliance, including：

Housing is set, and the housing has a multiple cavities of the tooth for being shaped to house patient, the housing includes interior surface and outer Portion surface；And

Using the part of the coating more than one described interior surface or the outer surface at least covering the housing of elasticity； And

The housing is removed from the elasticity is coating, to form the orthodontic appliance for including that the elasticity is coating.

36. methods according to claim 35, wherein, removing the housing includes dissolving the housing.

37. methods according to claim 35, wherein, removing the housing includes releasing the shell from the elasticity is coating Body.

38. methods according to claim 35, wherein, using the coating outside at least covering the housing of the elasticity And/or the part of inside includes the elastomeric material being sprayed on the part of the housing.

39. methods according to claim 35, wherein, using the coating outside at least covering the housing of the elasticity And/or the part of inside is included the elasticity coating extrusion molding on the part of the housing.

40. methods according to claim 35, wherein, using the coating outside at least covering the housing of the elasticity And/or the part of inside includes the separation block part of elastomeric material is attached on the housing.